jim croce
Good artists should be forced to stay on the ground. On September 20th 1973 a Beechcraft plane crashed into a pecan tree in Louisiana at takeoff, ending the promising career of both Jim Croce and lead guitarist Maury Muehleisen. Also the agent, the road manager, a comedian and the pilot - who after autopsy was determined dead drunk - perished. The team had just got a breakthrough with "Bad Leroy Brown", and the future seemed bright.
Despite of this, Croce thought about leaving music business to get more time with the family. A letter his wife Ingrid received after his death closes with "Remember, it’s the first 60 years that count and I’ve got 30 to go. I love you".
This song is from "Life and Times" (1973), his forth studio album, and essential to his many fans. A fifth album "I Got a Name" was released posthumously; finished just before the plane crash. Sure, he got a name - only thirty years old.
I'd like to stress the importance of Maury Muehleisen, thus there's a link to his tribute site at the bottom of the page, as well as Jim's. His splendid harmonies and special fingerpicking were a perfect match to Croce's songs. He's been a major inspiration to my own treating of the guitar, together with Happy Traum and Stefan Grossman. Bless their memories.
lazy days in midjuly
country sunday mornings
dusty haze on summer highways
sweet magnolia calling
drive in movies • friday nights
drinking beer and laughing
somehow things were always right
I just don't know what happened
we were only kids but then I've never heard it said
that kids don't fall in love and feel the same
I can still remember the first time I told you I love you
on a dusty midjuly
country summer's evening
weeping willow sang it's lullaby
and shared our secret
now and then I find myself thinking of the days
that we were walking in the alabama rain
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
A Amaj7 Bm E lazy days in midjuly A Amaj7 E country sunday mornings A Amaj7 Bm E dusty haze on summer highways A Amaj7 Bm E sweet magnolia calling D C#m Bm E7 now and then I find myself thinking of the days D Bm D6 E7 A that we were walking in the alabama rain D E A F#m Bm E A7 we were only kids but then I've never heard it said D E A Amaj7 F#m that kids don't fall in love and feel the same B7 E E7 E6 E I can still remember the first time I told you I love you
